ESPOO MAGAZINE 1/2017

SERVICE
TEAM AHMA
– A RAPID
DEPLOYMENT
FORCE
City of Espoo Child
Welfare Services have
created a four-person
rapid deployment team
that can respond to
child welfare cases
quickly, even on the
same day that the
situation arises.
Speed and being able to work
with the same child welfare
officer without transfers
and interruptions. These
are the principles governing the service
provision of City of Espoo Child
Welfare Services.
Under the Team Ahma operating
model, child welfare notifications
are received by a four-person team
comprised of three social workers
and one social counsellor. Each
team is on call for one week at a time
on a rotating basis. In the event of
an urgent need for assistance, two of
the team members can be deployed
even on the same day.
– We often call the customer on
the same day or the next. The customer
doesn’t have to sit at home for
days, worrying about the progress
of his or her case, says social worker
Outi Timonen.
THE SAME CONTACT PERSON THROUGH-
OUT THE PROCESS. A child welfare notification
may be filed by a public authority,
such as a child health clinic,
school or the police. Sometimes, tired
parents themselves contact child
welfare services. The situations range
from violence and divorces to children
being absent from school.
– If there’s a need for child-care
assistance, for example, we can arrange
it on very short notice, says
senior social worker Riina Mattila.
When a call is received, an appointment
is made for an initial assessment
within seven working
TEXT Veera Saloheimo
PHOTO Timo Porthan
Quick response! Natalja Ugbah
(left), Riina Mattila, Virpi
Heinola and Outi Timonen from
Espoo keskus Child Welfare
Services ensure that children
in need receive assistance as
quickly as possible.
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